Many species of trees have “mast years,” when their seed/fruit production is extraordinarily high. Mast refers to tree seeds that are a food source for wildlife. It comes from the old English word “maest”, referring to tree nuts that have accumulated on the forest floor.
Hard mast includes all of the nut trees, including oak (nine local species), hickory (four local species), walnut, beech, chinquapin and hazelnut. Soft mast includes the fleshy fruits like dogwood, sassafras, blackgum, blueberry, blackberry and cherry.

People today are fascinated with the greatest at everything. Countless articles have been written about who is the GOAT (Greatest Of All Time) at football, basketball, business, etc. Pick your endeavor and you can probably find a GOAT list. On most GOAT lists I have read, the author always tells why the person they picked is the greatest, based on their choice’s accomplishments. The author usually lists other “greats” and then tells us why they are good but not the “greatest.” So, who is the greatest fisher of all time? Jesus Christ is greatest fisherman of all time.

If you really want to find out just how well you know somebody, partner with them in a three-legged race. I found out the hard way just how competitive Tim was.
It all started at my company’s picnic in the summer of 1988. Tim and I had been married almost three years, but we had been together for six.
One of my co-workers suggested Tim and I participate in the three-legged race. We looked at each other: “Why not?” “It sounds like fun.”
Tim tied his right leg to my left one. I wrapped my left arm around his back while he wrapped his right one around mine.

Ah, the wonderful world of weddings! Walt Disney could probably have made a fortune if he had marketed the idea as a prime-time television show.
I love to hear a good church organ belt out the familiar strains of the traditional wedding march and recessional. It stirs something in me that speaks of old traditions well-kept and handed from generation to generation. However, I always think of the words that one of my classmates made up to go with the wedding march: “Here comes the bride, big, fat and wide.” I added, “There goes the groom, stiff as a broom.”

I had a call from a friend at church today asking if I had a good macaroni salad recipe. Yes, I do. Macaroni salad is something you see at every potluck.
In fact, I remember back in the '50s when macaroni salad first became popular, an incident that comes to mind whenever someone mentions this potluck staple. My husband and I went to our family reunion. Most every dish on the table was macaroni salad. Imagine that! I never took macaroni salad to a reunion again after that.
This is a good one, however. I have brought it up to date. It's not grandma's macaroni salad.

Union County, by Tennessee's standards, is a small county. With an approximate population of 20,000, we have not grown a great deal in the last few decades, or even during the 20th century. That seems like it is changing and will continue to change in the 21st century.
Union County's population changes as society changes. We have seen an influx of "Rust Belt" refugees, migrant workers and Norris Lake retirees.
We can be assured of these continued changes with increased urbanization, or, more accurately, increased sub-urbanization.

The other day I stumbled across a John Denver song on YouTube that I had never heard before, and then I started listening to other old favorites. Denver had a way of striking a chord on many different subjects. And ‘Grandma’s Feather Bed’ was one of them.
Part of it goes like this:
“But the best darn thing about grandma's house
Was the great big feather bed
It was nine feet high and six feet wide
And soft as a downy chick
It was made from the feathers of forty 'leven geese
Took a whole bolt of cloth for the tick

Genetically Modified Organisms, or GMO’s, are plants that have been modified to make them more productive and resistant to certain problems. The process of creating these organisms can best be explained using a chain model. If there is a weak link in a chain, you either mend it or replace it with a stronger one. If there is a gene in the DNA of a wheat plant that makes it susceptible to a certain fungus, scientists have now developed a way to remove that gene and replace it.

The Union County Clerk’s Office is excited to say that we now issue REAL ID Driver License, duplicate and address change on Commercial Driver License and renewals on Handgun Carry Permits.
The County Clerk’s office has numerous other duties including collecting Race Track Insurance Licensing Fee, issuance of Marriage Licenses, Pawnbroker Licenses and New Business Licenses.

For nearly six years, the local Hansards Chapel United Methodist Church has been hosting a food giveaway to those in need within the community. The pantry takes place on the third Saturday each month at 6:00 pm at the church near the Knox/Union County line.